Kiss Cam
by Roxy Earhardt-Myers
Summary: Three teams meet up to socialize and watch a basketball game.


**Kiss Cam**

'What's basketball?' Cole asked, leaning forward.

Eric wanted to slam his head against the wheel, but Wes turned around and explained the concept of the game. The good thing about having rich friends was definitely them spending money on their friends. The bad thing about having rich friends was them also spending money on their other friends and having very little say in who said friends are.

When Wes suggested going to see a basketball game, Eric had been all for it. Unfortunately, Wes didn't mention he invited the Lightspeed and Wild Force teams for bonding too.

It wasn't that he so much objected to their presence, it was just that all of them at once was definitely too peopley for his taste. Interacting with one team at a time was trying enough at times. But mixing the energy of Kelsey with Max, Cole's very slowly dwindling ignorance of the world, Joel's cocky attitude and Alyssa's perkiness were definitely going to be a sensory overload. His hopes we set on Carter, Dana, Chad and Danny to be their normal mellow selves to sit between him and the crazies as a buffer and possibly Taylor bringing her own grumpy self to balance out all others excitability, because he was already feeling a headache coming on.

Ryan was the wild card in this. Last time he met him, Dana and her father had already come a long way to socializing him to normal life. There was no telling if that process had stalled or was still an ongoing project.

Eric checked the rear view mirror, barely being able to see around Cole's face in the middle of it. A flash of yellow assured him Taylor was still following the truck and she and Alyssa hadn't changed their minds yet.

At the court Eric found two spots almost right next to each other and pulled into one. Taylor's car pulled into the other and everyone got out.

Cole was still hanging on to Wes's every word as the other was now trying to explain the rules of the game to him. Alyssa slipped her hand into Cole's while they started walking to the entrance. Max was excitedly chatting to Danny about meeting a new team. Eric lagged behind them, Taylor falling into step next to him.

'I'm starting to doubt if this was actually a good idea. I don't know the other team, but mine is already getting on my nerves,' Taylor admitted.

'It's only going to get worse from here,' Eric grumbled, spotting Kelsey waving at them up ahead.

Wes handled the introduction of the two teams and as Eric had expected, it was one big mess of hugs and kisses an happy feelings. A glance at Taylor told him it was all just a bit too much for her too. They weren't exactly introverts, they just preferred spending time alone at times.

Wes produced the stack of tickets and soon they were sitting in their court side seats. Unfortunately, Eric ended up right in the middle of the madness. Wes was sitting on his one side, Cole and Carter having joined him. And of course Alyssa and Dana were sitting with their boyfriends. That meant however that Alyssa and Dana were talking around Cole, while Cole was in conversation with Wes and Carter, creating one intangible mess of words Eric did not want to even try and follow.

As expected, Kelsey and Max got on like a house on fire. Ryan was sitting next to his girlfriend, watching her conversation with Max in amusement. Chad and Danny got on surprisingly well too. Joel and Angela were having some private conversation seated at the end of the row.

The only bright side to this whole situation was that somehow Taylor had ended up beside him to share in his suffering.

A bottle of aspirin was waved in face and Eric looked over at Taylor.

'I know my team,' she shrugged. 'I came prepared.'

Eric laughed a little and accepted the bottle. As he shook out two pills, Taylor produced a bottle of water from her purse too.

'Didn't know you even owned a purse,' Eric commented as he handed to bottles back to her after swallowing the pills.

'A necessary evil, since pockets are apparently a big taboo to have in pants for females,' Taylor rolled her eyes. Eric cracked a smile at her.

'I'm going to get some snacks before the game,' Wes suddenly announced. Carter, Cole and Danny quickly offered to go with him to help carry the stuff. 'Eric?'

'I'm here, that's all the participation you're getting out of me today,' Eric crossed his arms.

'Beer for Eric,' Wes grinned to the others. 'That should probably appease Mr Grouch. I'll just drive back.'

Eric rolled his eyes. Taylor asked him about his birds as the others left and Eric humoured her in engaging in the conversation to keep them both somewhat entertained while they waited for the game to start.

Luckily the game started soon after the others returned with the drinks and snacks.

During the break, Eric grumbled when Kelsey let out a cheer as the kiss cam appeared on screen. It focussed on a couple across the court and they happily kissed. Another couple a few rows up was next. Eric's eyes widened in horror when he suddenly saw his own face appear on the screen along with Taylor's.

Taylor turned red and covered her face in her hands, Eric quickly shook his head no. The crowd booed them as the camera moved on.

'This is why I stopped going to games in the first place,' Taylor muttered. 'You can't sit next to a guy without them wanting you to kiss them.'

Alyssa happily complied in kissing Cole when the camera trained on them, as did Carter and Dana. Next it focused back on Eric and Taylor, the both of them now gesturing it was not going to happen.

The kiss cam kept going for what felt like forever. A few couples would appear on screen, but Eric and Taylor kept appearing regularly, stubbornly refusing each time. Both were getting more and more worked up about it.

'Why can't it just leave us alone already,' Taylor complained. To her horror, her face appeared on screen with Eric once again.

'OH FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!' Eric yelled, finally fed up with the harassment.

Before Taylor could react, he grabbed to collar of her shirt and pulled her in for a kiss. The crowd went wild, the catcalls from Wes, Max and Joel probably being the loudest of all.

The game resumed and Taylor sat unmoving, watching the game in a state of shock. Eric crossed his arms and sat back in his seat.

It took Taylor about half an hour to regain her senses. She looked at Eric from the corner of her eyes, her stomach doing a flip when she notices how prominent his muscles were with is arms crossed.

'I wonder why the camera kept coming back to us,' she muttered softly.

Eric caught her eye and shrugged, focussing his attention back on the game in hopes of being able to ignore how close Taylor was actually sitting to him. Or how the taste of her lips was still lingering on his. It felt as if all his senses had suddenly decided to focus on Taylor.

Nobody paid any attention to Wes getting up to use the toilet, nor did anyone notice him slipping the nearest cameraman a hundred bucks on the way.

'Thank you, my good sir. I think they'll be able to handle the rest by themselves now.'

The cameraman winked at him. 'Happy to be of service, Mr Collins.'


End file.
